60" Deck Questions

[motox25 36]

The '91 520H I recently purchased to restore came with a 60" deck.  The model/serial number is unreadable and I need to order some parts for it (blades/belts).  I've posted some pics below hoping someone with the same model can send me their model/serial.  Also, I am trying to decide between keeping the deck and restoring it or trading down for a smaller 48" deck.  I've heard both good and bad things about the deck, the bad mainly that it can weaken and break the frame on the tractor and I definitely do not want that to happen.  What are your thoughts?

 

 

[zieg72 209]

05-60SC01  should be about what you have

[daveoman1966 3,622]

The spindle belt is # 112449 and the blades are 112947 (3).  Your deck has lots of weld repair plate on it and the cost of the belt + blades will probably hurt.  I have a good 60" deck shell here in n/w PA but Tulas OK is too long a shot to drive to consider.    

[motox25 36]

Thanks guys.  Yeah that would be quite a drive unfortunately, I think my deck MIGHT be salvageable, it only has a few small places where it has rusted through.  I am more concerned with the effect the heavy deck might have on the frame than the condition of the deck.  Looks like blades and the PTO belt will run me around $180.

[cheesegrader 433]

That deck looks pretty rough, and all I see is the top side.

I worry that it was left covered with wet grass, and I wonder what shape the spindles and bearings are in.

I love my 60" deck.  Blows my 48" SD deck away.  I haven't used anything but the 60 for three years.

I have heard stories of frame failure using a 60, but wonder if it wasn't from striking the deck against fixed objects.

Unlike a 48, the 60 will not give or bend.  Leverage against the frame is also increased by the wider deck.

Smash a 48 into the house, and you just get a bent mower shell!

[WildHorses 378]

I've had several Wheel Horse's with the 48" deck and I've had the 60" this past year after I got a mid 90's 520 with one on it. I would say the good or bad of either deck would depend a lot on your yard and the kind of mowing you do. I have a 2.5 acre yard that is relatively flat and I can say there is no way I would ever want to go back to the 48" deck. But like cheesegrader says the 48" deck will move and bounce or you will tear up the 48" deck shell running into something, the 60" deck will move the tractor, you won't tare up the deck. There isn't really enough room above the 60" deck to raise the deck off the ground very high either, if you need to go across a ditch or driveway to get where you need to mow this can be an issue. The frame on my 520 doesn't appear to have any damage but the person I bought it off of also had a fairly flat yard. I would suspect that someone with a hilly, uneven or rough yard would have more wear and tear on all the parts that support/hang the deck. If I had a lot of uneven ground, narrow areas, or less wide open acreage to mow I wouldn't have any problems with the 48" but I don't have much to mow between or around and I have wide open yard. My 60" deck needs the support rods/hangers that go from the tach-a-matic to the deck replaced, they are heavily worn and lose. I would suspect that this is a very common problem with all of the 60" decks on the 520's due to the narrow frame these tractors have. The 60" deck I have mows better than the 48".  The spindles being mounted on plate steel seem to flex less making the cut more even on flat ground, the pulleys and blades are all heavier (and seem to be built to take more abuse) which actually helps the 520 power through thicker grass easier believe it or not, the 60" deck does a better job of spreading/throwing the grass so it tends to clump less. Just like a 21" push mower compared to the 48" deck however, you do tend to get more scalping of low/high areas and uneven cut can happen easier over uneven ground with the larger deck but that's to be expected. 

 

Bottom line is that my 520-H with a 60" deck cut my mowing time by about 30-40% over my 518-H with a 48", granted the 520 can mow a little faster than my older 518-H even with the same 48" deck but the extra width didn't slow me down any. 

[Snowmobileaddict 403]

Save some serious coin and pick up a Kevlar industrial (generic) belt. The tractor mfgs do and simply put their name on it and mark it up 300%

Toro mower spindle belt 112449 {HBx131.25"}, B128 Gates 5/8"x131", B128 Napa 5/8"x131", Not listed @ Stens, B128 Goodyear 5/8"x131".

http://www.vbelts4less.com/B128K--B-SECTION-KEVLAR-K-PLUS-V-BELT_p_14630.html

This is where I get my Kevlar belts from and they run excellent

[motox25 36]

It was definitely left outside, and with rotting grass on it because I sprayed it off after I got it home. It seems the PO kept the tractor grease bearings lubricated well, I just hope he did the deck also. All the blades turn free with no apparent bearing noise. One of the belt guards has been welded on top of the deck so I am going to grind the welds to remove it and replace the stripped out bolts with bolts and lock nuts since it goes straight through. I have found grease zerks on the 2 side spindles and the idler arm but didn't see one for the middle spindle, do I have to remove the pulleys to get to it or does it not have one? How do the NAPA belts hold up compared to the OEM belts?

[Snowmobileaddict 403]

I don't know about the Napa ones.  I get the blue Kevlar ones from www.vbeltsforless.com  in the link above.

 

They are local to me, cheap and very durable. 

[cheesegrader 433]

The zerk for the center spindle is under the pulley, at the front of the deck.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 10,513]

Go into the Manuals here and copy and paste this into the search box.

Rotary 60in SD

Change the Submission Date to Title and the Ascending order.

All the 60" decks should come up in order or close to it.

 

Garry